The Trent & Mersey Canal & The Caldon Canal

The Trent and Mersey Canal begins, as you would expect, within a few miles of the River Mersey,
near Runcorn and finishes in a junction with the River Trent in Derbyshire. It is just over ninety miles
long and takes about six days to cruise.

It is one of the earliest canals, built by Brindley, with
much of historical interest, passing through some pleasant countryside. It
struggles from the Cheshire plains up thirty one locks, often called Heartbreak
Hill, to cut beneath Harecastle Hill in a spooky and watery tunnel one and
three quarter miles long. It passes through the industry of the Staffordshire
Potteries out into rural Staffordshire and then Derbyshire.

Shardlow, near
the River Trent, is one of England's best preserved canal towns. Try the
Swan pub at Fradley Junction which has an excellent view of the junction.
Stone has some interesting old canal buildings. Shrugborough Hall dates from
the 17th century and is surrounded by a landscaped park, the Gatehouse is
the size of many mansions! An English Civil war battle was fought just to
the north at Hopton Heath. Josiah Wedgwood was involved in getting the canal
built and the Wedgwood factory and museum are canalside just south of Stoke
on Trent. Middlewich and Northwich are salt towns dating back to Roman times.

The
canal is known for its tunnels, at Harecastle, Barnton, Saltersford and Preston
Brook. Saltersford has a kink because tunnelling started at different points
and didn't quite meet in the middle! Preston Brook has
a large central chamber where a collapse was repaired, and cruising through
the pitch dark confines of Harecastle tunnel is an experience nobody forgets!

The
double locks on Heartbreak Hill in Cheshire were built in the last
century to reduce queues, but many are now unworkable and some have been
filled in. The locks got their
name not because there are so many, but because they are rarely close enough
together to walk and work easily. To real boatpeople they were just the Cheshire
Locks!

The Caldon Canal leaves the T&M mainline at Etruria, just north of Stoke on Trent, and meanders into
the Staffordshire countryside, running for a short distance along the River Churnet. It has some extremely attractive stretches and the isolated Consall
Forge and Black Lion Pub must be visited, plus the restored steam Churnet
Railway. The canal currently finishes at Froghall Wharf which can be reached
by some boats through the very low Froghall Tunnel. However the Caldon and
Uttoxeter Canals Trust have restored what was the first lock at Froghall
on the Uttoxeter Canal. This canal was closed in the nineteenth century and
a railway built over it. The railway subsequently closed and part of it is
now reopened as the Churnet Valley Railway. There are hopes that eventually
both the railway and canal can reach Uttoxeter again, running through the
Churnet Valley. See Uttoxeter Canal
Restoration.

The Anderton Boat Lift has two large watertight tanks which can each
take two full length narrowboats. The tanks are raised by hydraulic rams
which raise the water filled tanks and boats from the river to the canal
fifty feet above. The tanks have watertight doors at each end to let the
boats in and out. Corrosion of the structure, due to the high salt
content of the environment in this salt producing area, closed the lift
for many years. However full restoration is now complete and the lift
came back in service in 2002.

Cruising the River Weaver
has been made easier with the
reopening of the Anderton Boat Lift. Previously access required a voyage down the Manchester
Ship Canal. Upstream from the Lift the Weaver can be followed through
the centre of Northwich to Winsford Flashes. Downstream in goes through
pretty countryside to join the Ship Canal below Frodsham. Although the
locks are large and the river once carried heavy traffic the coasters
which came up to Northwich finished a few years ago, and there is
currently no commercial traffic on the River.

Narrowboat heading away from FroghallLeek branch crossing the aqueductLeek branch looking back to the junctionMagnificent stone aqueduct, canal over canal

Featured Spot - Hazlehurst Aqueduct.

Hireboats on the Trent & Mersey

Based on the Shropshire Union near Chester, Halcyon Days Canal Boat Hire offer the keenest priced boating holidays on the Trent & Mersey
and Llangollen canals, the Cheshire and Four Counties rings and beyond.

Hireboats on the Trent & Mersey

Venetian Hire Boats
Luxury holidays from the heart of Cheshire (on the 4 counties ring) with king
sized beds, TV in bed, fully equipped including towels, welcome pack and
Chocolate Fairy. No Surcharges!

Anderton Boat Lift.

Heavy double locks on Heartbreak Hill.

Saltersford Locks on the River Weaver.

Colin Edmondson has written a fascinating
Towpath Walkers Guide to the History of The River Weaver Navigation.